Edwards expects wide-open tournament

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England captain Charlotte Edwards expects competition to be fierce at the Women’s ICC World Twenty20 and hopes to play her part in a high-scoring tournament.

Edwards’ England won the inaugural tournament on home soil in 2009 but Australia have since dominated, winning the last three events.

New Zealand are the only other team to have appeared in a Women’s World T20 final, but Edwards believes that could change in the 2016 edition in India. 

“The game has moved on massively in the last two years and it’s great to see so many teams now competing against each other,” she said.

“From the recent series everyone is beating everyone so this is a wide-open tournament, one we’re all looking forward to.

“The great thing is the game is moving forward at a rapid rate and it’s obviously great to be a part of that.

“We played a World Cup here three years ago and it’s a country we love playing in. It’s somewhere I’ve always enjoyed playing.

Charlotte Edwards has scored 2,403 runs in 90 Twenty20 internationals for England at an average of 32.04

“From what I’ve seen today the wickets look really good so we’re looking forward to hopefully a high-scoring tournament and putting on a good spectacle for the women’s game.

“The game is moving so quickly now. In our recent Ashes series we were selling out grounds for women’s cricket and that’s great moving forward.

“Hopefully this tournament will be a groundbreaking one for the women’s game.”

Edwards was one of a number of England players to feature in the first season of the Women’s Big Bash League – and she admitted that experience whetted her appetite for the launch of the Women’s Cricket Super League in England this summer.

“The Big Bash was brilliant,” she added.

“One of the main attractions was to play with some other international players and obviously with the homegrown Australian players.

“It’s great that we’ve got our own one coming out this summer.

“It’s just incredibly exciting for any women’s cricketer at the moment, to think not only can you play internationally but domestically and get paid for it as well. It’s such a huge attraction.

Charlotte Edwards helped Perth Scorchers reach the semi-finals of the inaugural Women's Big Bash League

“You’re learning so much all the time and I never thought when I set out playing that I’d be getting these kind of opportunities, which is great for women’s cricket.”

England play New Zealand in a warm-up match in Chennai on Saturday and then face South Africa before Thursday’s opening Group B fixture against Bangladesh.

And Edwards has identified some important players for her team.

“I think Anya Shrubsole is going to be key having been player of the tournament in the last World Cup,” she said.

Heather Knight is in fantastic form coming off a really good series in South Africa. And someone like Natalie Sciver.

“I think it’s going to take a real team effort to win this World Cup.

“We feel we’ve got a strong squad and now it’s just about going out there, performing and playing our style of cricket.”


Source: ECB

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